The Relationship between the El Nio/La Nia Cycle and the Transition Chains of Four Atmospheric Oscillations. Part I: The Four Oscillations

The first leading modes of the interannual variations in low-level circulation over the North and South Pacific are the Northern Oscillation （NO） and Southern Oscillation （SO）,which are oscillations in sea level pressure anomalies （SLPAs）between the eastern and western Pacific Ocean.The second leading modes are the North Pacific Oscillation （NPO） and the Antarctic Oscillation （AAO）,which reflect oscillations between the subtropics and the high and middle latitudes.The transition chains of these four oscillations were investigated using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP-NCAR） reanalysis data.The general pattern of the transition chain between the NO and NPO was from the negative phase of the NO （NO-） to the positive phase of the NPO （NPO＋）,then from NO＋ to NPO-to NO-.The whole transition chain took about 4-6 years.The general pattern and period of the transition between the SO and AAO were similar to those between the NO and NPO.In addition,the transition chains between the NO and NPO,and the SO and AAO,were almost simultaneous.The transition chains of the four oscillations were found to be closely connected,with the eastward propagations of SLPAs occurring along both sides of the Equator.

The Relationship between the El Nio/La Nia Cycle and the Transition Chains of Four Atmospheric Oscillations. Part Ⅱ:The Relationship and a New Approach to the Prediction of El Nio

ABSTRACT The authors explored the connection and transition chains of the Northern Oscillation （NO） and the North Pacific Oscilla tion （NPO）, the Southern Oscillation （SO）, and the Antarctic Oscillation （AAO） on the interannual timescale in a companion paper. In this study, the connection between the transition chains of the four oscillations （the NO and NPO, the SO and AAO） and the El Nifio/La Nifia cycle were examined. It was found that during the transitions of the four oscillations, alternate anticyclonic/cyclonic correlation centers propagated from the Western Pacific to the Eastern Pacific along both sides of the equator. Between the anticyclonic/cyclonic correlation centers, the zonal wind anomalies also moved eastwardly, favoring the advection of sea surface temperature anomalies from the tropical Western Pacific to the Eastern Pacific. When the anti cyclonic anomalies arrived in the Eastern Pacific, the positive phase of NO/SO and La Nifia were established and vice versa. Thus, in 4-6 years, with an entire transition chain of the four oscillations, an E1 Nifio/La Nifia cycle completed. The eastward propagation of the covarying anomalies of the sea level pressure, zonal wind, and sea surface temperature was critical to the transition chains of the four oscillations and the cycle of E1 Nifio/La Nifia. Based on their close link, a new empirical prediction method of the timing of E1 Nifio by the transition chains of the four oscillations was proposed. The assessment provided confidence in the ability of the new method to supply information regarding the long-term variations of the ocean and atmosphere in the tropical Pacific.